Answers and Artforms in Nature

Botanical design has always been something that’s fascinated me along with hundreds of designers through the ages. These days however botanical design is much more than simply botanical illustrations. We look to nature to solve some of the most important problems of our time.

Arguably the single most important pioneer in this area had to be German Biologist Ernst Haeckel. Driven by tragic failures in love that colored his view of life Haeckel’s portfolio, first published in 1899 illustrate his approach of the “unity of all living things” and the wide variety of forms are executed with utmost delicacy.

Haeckel’s influences are clear in work of French Artist Émile Gallé who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major forces in the French Art Nouveau movement, as well as German photographer and Sculptor Karl Blossfeldt who is best known for his close-up photos of plants.

These days, other designers like Ross Lovegrove is so well known for looking toward nature to create amazing structures like the Solar Trees below (TED Talk on “The power & beauty of organic design“.)

But these days Haeckel’s work brings new meaning to other groups, including fellow biologists, scientists, and corporates. Biologist Janine Benyus helps corporates solve problems through nature. In a recent TED talk, she discusses 12 sustainable design ideas from nature in particular, one problem in technology – Self assembly without Carcinogens. Silicon is part of the carcinogenic problem in manufacturing of our chips, where through mimickry a biomineralisation process can actually result in Bio Silicon from organic silicates.

Janine is so right when she says that the biggest design challenge of our time is to find a way to do what we do without destroying the place that we live in.

Life creates conditions conducive to life.
Janine Benyus